KR20110016446A - Plasma processing apparatus - Google Patents

Plasma processing apparatus Download PDF

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KR20110016446A
KR20110016446A KR1020107028583A KR20107028583A KR20110016446A KR 20110016446 A KR20110016446 A KR 20110016446A KR 1020107028583 A KR1020107028583 A KR 1020107028583A KR 20107028583 A KR20107028583 A KR 20107028583A KR 20110016446 A KR20110016446 A KR 20110016446A
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Prior art keywords
waveguide
antenna
plasma processing
plasma
processing apparatus
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KR1020107028583A
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Korean (ko)
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KR101221859B1 (en
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키요타카 이시바시
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도쿄엘렉트론가부시키가이샤
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H05H—PLASMA TECHNIQUE; PRODUCTION OF ACCELERATED ELECTRICALLY-CHARGED PARTICLES OR OF NEUTRONS; PRODUCTION OR ACCELERATION OF NEUTRAL MOLECULAR OR ATOMIC BEAMS
    • H05H1/00—Generating plasma; Handling plasma
    • H05H1/24—Generating plasma
    • H05H1/46—Generating plasma using applied electromagnetic fields, e.g. high frequency or microwave energy
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C23—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
    • C23C—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL
    • C23C16/00—Chemical coating by decomposition of gaseous compounds, without leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating, i.e. chemical vapour deposition [CVD] processes
    • C23C16/44—Chemical coating by decomposition of gaseous compounds, without leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating, i.e. chemical vapour deposition [CVD] processes characterised by the method of coating
    • C23C16/50—Chemical coating by decomposition of gaseous compounds, without leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating, i.e. chemical vapour deposition [CVD] processes characterised by the method of coating using electric discharges
    • C23C16/511—Chemical coating by decomposition of gaseous compounds, without leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating, i.e. chemical vapour deposition [CVD] processes characterised by the method of coating using electric discharges using microwave discharges
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J37/00—Discharge tubes with provision for introducing objects or material to be exposed to the discharge, e.g. for the purpose of examination or processing thereof
    • H01J37/32—Gas-filled discharge tubes
    • H01J37/32009—Arrangements for generation of plasma specially adapted for examination or treatment of objects, e.g. plasma sources
    • H01J37/32192—Microwave generated discharge
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J37/00—Discharge tubes with provision for introducing objects or material to be exposed to the discharge, e.g. for the purpose of examination or processing thereof
    • H01J37/32—Gas-filled discharge tubes
    • H01J37/32009—Arrangements for generation of plasma specially adapted for examination or treatment of objects, e.g. plasma sources
    • H01J37/32192—Microwave generated discharge
    • H01J37/32211—Means for coupling power to the plasma
    • H01J37/3222—Antennas
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J37/00—Discharge tubes with provision for introducing objects or material to be exposed to the discharge, e.g. for the purpose of examination or processing thereof
    • H01J37/32—Gas-filled discharge tubes
    • H01J37/32009—Arrangements for generation of plasma specially adapted for examination or treatment of objects, e.g. plasma sources
    • H01J37/32192—Microwave generated discharge
    • H01J37/32211—Means for coupling power to the plasma
    • H01J37/32229—Waveguides

Abstract

Provided is a plasma processing apparatus capable of generating a uniform and reproducible plasma under various process conditions. The plasma processing apparatus 1 includes a waveguide 5 that transmits microwaves, an antenna 4 that radiates microwaves from the microwave source through the waveguide 5, and a microwave that propagates microwaves emitted from the antenna 4. The top plate 3 which permeate | transmits inside the container 1 is provided. The plasma processing apparatus 1 further includes a screw feed mechanism 20 for moving the waveguide 5 so that the position of the waveguide 5 relatively changes with respect to the antenna 4.

Figure P1020107028583

Description

PLASMA PROCESSING APPARATUS

The present invention relates to a plasma processing apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to a microwave plasma processing apparatus that generates plasma using microwaves.

Plasma processing is widely used for many semiconductor devices, such as an integrated circuit, a liquid crystal circuit board, and a solar cell. Plasma processing is used in the deposition, etching process, etc. of thin films, such as Si, in a semiconductor manufacturing process. However, for the development and manufacture of products with higher performance and higher performance, it is required to cope with, for example, ultrafine processing technology. For this reason, the microwave plasma processing apparatus which can stably produce the high density plasma (low pressure high density plasma) in the high vacuum state with low pressure attracts attention.

The microwave plasma processing apparatus is a plasma processing apparatus that generates plasma by ionizing gas by microwave energy. Microwave is supplied from the slot plate of the antenna via the waveguide. Then, a top plate (dielectric window) disposed in the upper opening of the plasma processing chamber (chamber) penetrates and is radiated into the plasma processing chamber. The top plate is made of a dielectric material that can transmit microwaves.

A microwave plasma processing apparatus comprising: introducing a microwave through a waveguide from a microwave generator into a plasma processing vessel accommodating a target object, generating a plasma in the plasma processing vessel, and processing the predetermined target on the target object. It is disclosed that this is to be implemented (see Patent Document 1).

In this microwave plasma processing apparatus, a matching means is formed in the waveguide, and plasma is efficiently generated by eliminating the reflected power generated from the plasma processing vessel as much as possible when microwaves are introduced.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 09-190900

In the microwave plasma processing apparatus, in order to stably perform high plasma processing such as ultrafine processing technology, it is important to generate a plasma that is uniform and has good reproducibility.

However, the propagation state of microwaves is a device such as a component such as an antenna thermally expanding due to a tolerance of each component in the device manufacturing step of the microwave plasma processing apparatus, or heat generated by the plasma. It changes according to the condition. The characteristics of the plasma also change depending on plasma generation conditions such as temperature, pressure, and gas type. For this reason, it was difficult to generate a uniform and reproducible plasma also under various process conditions (device conditions, plasma generation conditions).

On the other hand, as described above, in the related art, the effective power (the difference between the output power and the reflected power) contributing to the plasma generation is increased by reducing the reflected power in order to generate the plasma efficiently. However, in order to generate a uniform and reproducible plasma, it is not enough to generate plasma efficiently in this way.

This invention is made | formed in view of such a situation, and the objective is to provide the plasma processing apparatus by which the plasma which is uniform and excellent reproducibility is obtained also in various process conditions.

In order to achieve the above object, the plasma processing apparatus according to the present invention,

A plasma processing apparatus for generating plasma in a plasma processing vessel using microwaves to perform plasma processing on a target object,

A microwave source for generating the microwaves,

A waveguide for transmitting the microwaves,

An antenna for radiating microwaves transmitted from the waveguide,

A top plate which propagates the microwaves radiated from the antenna and transmits the inside of the plasma processing container;

And position adjusting means for moving the waveguide so that the position of the waveguide is relatively changed with respect to the antenna.

Preferably, the position adjusting means may displace a part of the waveguide in contact with the antenna relative to the antenna.

More preferably, the position adjusting means may be invariant relative to the antenna.

More preferably, the waveguide is a coaxial waveguide having an inner conductor and an outer conductor disposed on an outer circumference of the inner conductor, and part of the waveguide may be the inner conductor.

More preferably, the waveguide is a coaxial waveguide having an inner conductor and an outer conductor disposed on an outer circumference of the inner conductor, and part of the waveguide may be the outer conductor.

More preferably, the antenna includes a slot plate and a slow wave plate disposed adjacent to the slot plate, wherein a plurality of pairs of slots are formed on each concentric circle of a plurality of concentric circles, respectively, in the slot plate. May be formed at substantially equal intervals, and the pair of slots may be formed to be orthogonal to each other.

More preferably, the cooling means which cools the said antenna may be formed so that it may contact and may overlap with the upper surface of the said antenna.

More preferably, a temperature sensor may be formed in the antenna, and the temperature of the heat medium flowing to the cooling means may be controlled based on the measurement results of the temperature sensor.

More preferably, a probe is formed in the plasma processing container, and the position of the waveguide relative to the antenna is relatively determined through the position adjusting means based on the generation state of the plasma measured using the probe. You may change it.

More preferably, the slot plate is made of metal.

According to the plasma processing apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to provide a plasma processing apparatus capable of generating a plasma which is uniform for various process conditions and has good reproducibility.

1 is an overall cross-sectional view of a plasma processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a plan view of a slot plate according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the screw conveyance mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and a configuration showing the relationship between the antenna and the waveguide of the plasma processing apparatus, and corresponds to the portion K enclosed by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 1. .
FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the screw conveyance mechanism according to the second embodiment of the present invention and the configuration showing the relationship between the antenna and the waveguide of the plasma processing apparatus, and correspond to the portion K enclosed by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 1. .
FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a configuration showing the relationship between the antenna and the waveguide of the plasma processing apparatus of the prior art, and corresponds to the portion K enclosed by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 1.

(Form to carry out invention)

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, each embodiment of this invention is described in detail, referring drawings. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same or corresponding part in drawing.

(1st embodiment)

1 is an overall sectional view of a microwave plasma processing apparatus (hereinafter, simply referred to as "plasma apparatus") 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the plasma processing apparatus 1 includes a bottomed rectangular cylindrical chamber (plasma processing vessel) 2, a top plate (dielectric window) 3, a disk-shaped antenna 4, and a waveguide. (5), the microwave source 6, the cooling jacket 7, the substrate holder 8, the vacuum pump 9, the high frequency power supply 10, the gas passage 11, the temperature sensor 12 Equipped. The antenna 4 is provided with a slot plate 4a made of a metal (shield member) and a slow wave plate 4b made of a dielectric disposed adjacent to the slot plate 4a. The waveguide 5 is a so-called coaxial waveguide, and has an inner conductor 5b and a cylindrical outer conductor 5a arranged to form a cylindrical gap through which microwaves pass on the outer circumferential side of the inner conductor 5b. Doing.

2 is a plan view of the slot plate 4a according to the embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the slot plate 4a is arrange | positioned adjacent to the slow wave plate 4b, and many slots 41 and 42 penetrate and are formed. In this way, the slot plate 4a is located below the slow wave plate 4b. For this reason, the microwave propagates so as to spread in the plane direction of the slow wave plate 4b around the position introduced from the waveguide 5.

In detail, as shown in FIG. 2, each slot 41 and 42 is formed on each concentric circle of a plurality of concentric circles at substantially equal intervals, respectively. Each of the slots 41 and 42 is formed to be orthogonal to each other. The microwaves propagate in the radial direction of the slot plate 4a around the position introduced from the waveguide 5 and radiate downward through the slots 41 and 42. The microwaves are repeatedly reflected and interfered in the interior of the top plate 3 to be reinforced with each other to form standing waves. In the region immediately below the top plate 3, plasma is formed in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of each slot 41, 42.

Returning to FIG. 1, the upper opening of the chamber 2 of the plasma processing apparatus 1 is closed by the top plate 3. On the top plate 3, the antenna 4 is arrange | positioned so that it may overlap.

The waveguide 5 is connected to the center portion of the antenna 4. In detail, the lower end part of the inner conductor 5b is in contact with the slot plate 4a of the antenna 4. The slow wave plate 4b is located between the cooling jacket 7 and the slot plate 4a, and compresses the wavelength of the microwave and shifts it to the short wavelength side. This slow wave plate 4b is, for example, SiO 2 or Al 2 O 3. It can be comprised from dielectric materials, such as these.

In the plasma processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the cooling jacket 7 is formed so that it may contact the upper surface (one side) of the antenna 4, and may overlap. By circulating the fruit in the cooling channel 7a of the cooling jacket 7, heat generated when plasma is generated inside the chamber 2 is accumulated in the dielectric window 3 or the antenna 4. Even at a high temperature, the heat can be taken away to cool the dielectric window 3 and the antenna 4.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a configuration showing the relationship between the antenna and the waveguide of the plasma processing apparatus of the prior art, and corresponds to the portion K surrounded by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 1.

Here, the waveguide 5 is fixed to the antenna 4. The position when the microwave is introduced into the top plate 3 via the waveguide 5 is constant.

In such a plasma processing apparatus, even when the propagation state of microwaves in the antenna 4 changes due to thermal expansion of a constituent member such as the antenna 4, the waveguide 5 is fixed to the antenna 4. You cannot change the propagation state of.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a configuration corresponding to the portion K surrounded by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 1. 3 shows the positional relationship between the screw feed mechanism 20 as the position adjusting means according to the present embodiment, the antenna 4 and the top plate 3 and the waveguide 5 in the plasma processing apparatus.

With respect to the prior art shown in FIG. 5, as shown in FIG. 3, the plasma processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment has a screw feed mechanism 20 that displaceably supports the inner conductor 5b of the waveguide 5. Equipped with.

In detail, as shown in FIG. 3, four screw feed mechanisms 20 are arrange | positioned on the rectangular waveguide part 5c of the waveguide 5 in the state which enclosed the inner conductor 5b by 90 degree equiangular space | interval. have. The four screw feed mechanisms 20 are configured to be able to fix the inner conductor 5b, and to move the inner conductor 5b in any direction on the plane.

As shown in FIG. 3, each screw feed mechanism 20 is equipped with the pressing plate 21, the fixing screw 22, the adjustment screw 23, and the stopper 24, respectively. Each screw feed mechanism 20 is invariant in relative position with respect to the antenna 4. As a result, the positional adjustment of the inner conductor 5b with respect to the antenna 4 can be performed easily and reliably. The pressing plate 21 is formed in the upper opening of the rectangular waveguide 5c so as to be in contact with the outer circumferential wall of the inner conductor 5b. Moreover, in the upper opening of the rectangular waveguide part 5c, the stopper 24 is formed in the outer peripheral side of the press plate 21. As shown in FIG.

The front end portion of the adjusting screw 23 screwed to the stopper 24 is screwed into the pressing plate 21. Then, by rotating the adjustment screw 23, the pressing plate 21 is movable toward the radially inner side of the inner conductor 5b. The stopper 24 is formed at a position where the inner conductor 5b does not contact the outer conductor 5a even when the adjusting screw 23 is rotated to the maximum to prevent the inner conductor 5b from contacting the outer conductor 5a. It is. Then, by rotating the adjusting screw 23 in a state where the pressing plate 21 is in contact with the outer circumferential wall of the inner conductor 5b, the inner conductor (without contacting the outer conductor 5a via the pressing plate 21) ( The position of 5b) can be adjusted.

Moreover, the fixing screw 22 abuts on the side part of the adjustment screw 23 from the upper surface of the press plate 21, and the screw is inserted so that rotation of the adjustment screw 23 can be prevented.

In the plasma processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, in order to position the inner conductor 5b, the adjusting screw 23 of the four screw feed mechanisms 20 is rotated, and the inner conductor (through the pressing plate 21) is rotated. 5b) is moved to an arbitrary position in the radial direction. And the inner conductor 5b is fixed by tightening the fixing screw 22 in the state which made the press plate 21 contact the outer peripheral wall of the inner conductor 5b at the point to position.

According to the plasma processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, by using the screw feed mechanism 20, the position of the inner conductor 5b of the waveguide 5 with respect to the antenna 4 and the top plate 3, that is, the antenna (4) and the introduction position of the microwave in the top plate 3 can be changed. And the plasma density distribution formed by the said microwave can be changed using the thing where the density position pattern of the microwave propagated in the top plate 3 differs according to the introduction position of the microwave. On the other hand, even when the plasma density distribution changes, by using the screw feed mechanism 20, the introduction position of the microwaves in the antenna 4 and the top plate 3 can be changed to maintain a predetermined plasma density distribution. have.

In the plasma processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the position of the inner conductor 5b of the waveguide 5 is actually plasma-processed on the substrate W to be processed and optimized according to the processing result. have. For example, to-be-processed substrate W is taken out after a certain period of time from the start of plasma processing apparatus 1 or the start of plasma processing, and the plasma density distribution is confirmed from the processing state. And the position of the to-be-processed board | substrate W and the inner conductor 5b is collated, and the position where an optimal plasma density distribution is obtained can be determined.

In addition, the generated state of the plasma may be measured in real time with a probe provided in the chamber 2, and the obtained information may be fed back to the control device of the plasma processing apparatus 1. And the position of the inner conductor 5b can be optimized by rotationally driving the adjustment screw 23 of the screw feed mechanism 20 via the servomotor etc. by the said control apparatus. In this way, the plasma density distribution is automatically controlled by adjusting the position of the waveguide 5 based on the generation state of the plasma. According to this method, the plasma density distribution can be stabilized quickly and with good reproducibility. In this case, unlike the above-mentioned method, productivity can be further improved because the to-be-processed substrate W does not become useless.

Hereinafter, the plasma processing of the semiconductor substrate (to-be-processed substrate W) using the plasma processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment is demonstrated.

In the state shown in FIG. 1, the inside of the chamber 2 is evacuated and reduced using the vacuum pump 9, and it is set as a vacuum state. Next, microwaves are supplied from the microwave source 6 to the antenna 4 via the waveguide 5.

Then, the microwaves are radiated downward from the slots 41 and 42 of the slot plate 4a while propagating between the slot plate 4a and the slow wave plate 4b in the radial direction of the antenna 4. The microwaves then pass through the top plate 3. The microwaves generate plasma in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the slots 41 and 42 in the chamber 2. The plasma is spread evenly in the plane direction in the region immediately below the top plate 3.

In addition, the microwave propagates into the top plate 3 while repeating the reflection while keeping the wavelength at a predetermined length in the radial direction of the slot plate 4a around the position introduced from the waveguide 5. Then, the inside of the top plate 3 is repeatedly reflected and interferes with each other to form a standing wave. The microwaves form a roughness position pattern in the top plate 3. For this reason, plasma density distribution is formed in the chamber 2, and it is stabilized. In addition, the microwave advances inside the top plate 3 while forming a circularly polarized wave by rotating its polarized plane.

When the plasma excitation gas such as argon (Ar) or xenon (Xe) is supplied into the chamber 2, the gas is ionized in the chamber 2 by the energy of the microwaves described above to generate a plasma. Here, for example, plasma treatment such as plasma CVD (Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition) can be performed. That is, the gas for thin film formation is supplied into the chamber 2 by the lower end gas supply means etc. which are not shown in figure. Then, the to-be-processed substrate W which is a semiconductor substrate provided in the board | substrate holding stand 8 by activating the said gas. Thin film such as Si is deposited. In this way, the substrate W is loaded into the chamber 2 to deposit a thin film, and then a series of flows carried out after the plasma treatment is repeated to continuously process the plasma on the predetermined number of substrates W. Can be done.

Here, heat may be generated when plasma is generated, and heat may accumulate on the top plate 3 or the antenna 4 to become a high temperature. This causes thermal deformation of the top plate 3 and affects the intensity distribution and the plasma density distribution of electromagnetic waves propagating in the top plate 3.

Therefore, in the plasma processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, such a bad influence is eliminated by distribute | circulating a fruit and cooling the top plate 3 and the antenna 4 in the cooling flow path 7a of the cooling jacket 7. .

In addition, in the plasma processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the temperature sensor 12 is formed in the antenna 4 which is formed of metal and is easy to become the highest temperature. And the temperature measurement result by the said temperature sensor 12 is fed back to the control apparatus (not shown) which controls the plasma processing apparatus 1. And the temperature of a heat medium is controlled, adjusting the quantity of the heat medium which flows into the cooling flow path 7a by a control apparatus. As a result, the temperature of the top plate 3 is kept more constant.

However, even if the antenna 4 is cooled in this manner, the antenna 4 may not be sufficiently cooled. For this reason, the electromagnetic field distribution and the plasma density distribution in the top plate 3 may be a cause of nonuniformity. Further, depending on the plasma generation conditions (temperature, pressure, type of gas, etc.), a uniform and reproducible plasma may not be obtained.

On the other hand, according to the plasma processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, by using the screw feed mechanism 20, the inner conductor 5b of the waveguide 5 can be displaced to the position from which the optimal plasma density distribution is obtained. . That is, according to this embodiment, the position of the waveguide 5 with respect to the antenna 4 can be changed relatively by moving the inner conductor 5b of the waveguide 5 by the screw feed mechanism 20. As a result, even when a constituent member such as the antenna 2 is thermally expanded or the plasma generation condition is changed, even if the propagation state of the microwaves in the top plate 3 changes, the position at which the microwaves are introduced into the antenna 4 can be changed. have. In addition, the propagation state of the microwaves in the top plate 3 can be changed to generate a plasma that is uniform and has good reproducibility under various process conditions.

Moreover, according to the plasma processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, by using the screw feed mechanism 20, plasma processing is performed continuously with respect to the predetermined number of to-be-processed board | substrates W as mentioned above. As a result, according to the plasma processing apparatus 1 of the embodiment, even when a thin film such as Si is deposited or when the conditions of the etching process are changed, the process conditions vary in various ways and the plasma density distribution changes. In addition, the plasma density distribution may be adjusted to stabilize the plasma density distribution. That is, the plasma can be generated uniformly and with good reproducibility. As a result, it becomes possible to maintain the processing efficiency by plasma processing high.

Moreover, according to the plasma processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the screw feed mechanism 20 is provided in the outer side of the chamber 2 of the plasma processing apparatus 1. Therefore, according to this screw feed mechanism 20, the position change of the inner conductor 5b can be easily performed, without changing the pressure in the chamber 2, or the flow volume of the gas to introduce | transduce. In addition, even when the plasma density distribution is changed in the chamber 2, the position of introduction of microwaves in the antenna 4 and the top plate 3 is changed by the screw feed mechanism 20 in the top plate 3. The symmetry of the electromagnetic field distribution can be ordered to form a uniform plasma density distribution in the chamber 2. In addition, by changing the position of the inner conductor 5b by using the screw feed mechanism 20, even when plasma processing is performed continuously under different plasma generation conditions, the optimum electromagnetic field distribution is always reproduced to stabilize the plasma density distribution. can do.

(2nd embodiment)

The plasma processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment has the same structure as that of the plasma processing apparatus 1 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and the corresponding structural members are assigned the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 and the description thereof is omitted. . In addition, in this embodiment, the slot plate 4a of 1st Embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is used.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the configuration corresponding to the portion K surrounded by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 1. 4 shows the positional relationship between the screw feed mechanism 30 as the position adjusting means according to the second embodiment, the antenna 4 and the top plate 3 and the waveguide 5 in the plasma processing apparatus.

With respect to the prior art shown in FIG. 5, as shown in FIG. 4, the plasma processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment has a screw feed mechanism 30 that displaceably supports the outer conductor 5a of the waveguide 5. Equipped with.

In detail, as shown in FIG. 4, four screw feed mechanisms 30 are arrange | positioned on the cooling jacket 7 in the state which enclosed the outer conductor 5a at equal angle intervals of 90 degrees. The four screw feed mechanisms 30 are configured to be able to fix the outer conductor 5a and to move the outer conductor 5a in any direction on the plane.

Each screw feed mechanism 30 includes a pressing plate 31, a fixing screw 32, and an adjusting screw 33, respectively. Each screw feed mechanism 30 is invariable relative to the antenna 4. Thereby, the position adjustment of the outer conductor 5a with respect to the antenna 4 is easy and can be surely performed. The pressing plate 31 is formed on the cooling jacket 7 so as to be in contact with the outer circumferential wall of the outer conductor 5a.

The front end of the adjusting screw 33 screwed to the screw feed mechanism main body 30a is screwed into the pressing plate 31. Then, by rotating the adjustment screw 33, the pressing plate 31 is movable toward the radially inner side of the outer conductor 5a. And the position of the outer conductor 5a can be adjusted through the said press plate 31 by rotating the adjustment screw 33 in the state which contacted the press plate 31 to the outer peripheral wall of the outer conductor 5a.

Moreover, the fixing screw 32 abuts on the side part of the adjustment screw 33 from the upper surface of the screw feed mechanism main body 30a, and is screwed so that rotation of the adjustment screw 33 can be prevented.

In this embodiment, in order to position the outer conductor 5a, the adjustment screw 33 of the four screw feed mechanisms 30 is rotated, and the outer conductor 5a is arbitrarily changed in the radial direction through the press plate 31. As shown in FIG. Move to the position of. And the outer conductor 5a is fixed by tightening the fixing screw 32 in the state which made the press plate 31 contact the outer peripheral wall of the outer conductor 5a at the point to position.

According to the plasma processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, by using the screw feed mechanism 30, the position of the outer conductor 5a of the waveguide 5 with respect to the antenna 4 and the top plate 3, that is, the antenna (4) and the introduction position of the microwave in the top plate 3 can be changed. And the plasma density distribution formed by the said microwave can be changed using the thing where the density position pattern of the microwave propagated in the top plate 3 differs according to the introduction position of the microwave. On the other hand, even when the plasma density distribution is changed, by using the screw feed mechanism 30, the introduction position of the microwaves in the antenna 4 and the top plate 3 can be changed to maintain a predetermined plasma density distribution. .

In the plasma processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the position of the outer conductor 5a of the waveguide 5 can actually be plasma-processed on the substrate W to be processed and optimized according to the processing result. . For example, to-be-processed substrate W is taken out after a certain period of time from the start of plasma processing apparatus 1 or the start of plasma processing, and the plasma density distribution is confirmed from the processing state. And the position of the to-be-processed board | substrate W and the outer conductor 5a is collated, and the position where an optimal plasma density distribution is obtained can be determined.

In addition, the generated state of the plasma may be measured in real time using a probe or the like provided in the chamber 2, and the obtained information may be fed back to the control device of the plasma processing apparatus 1. And the position of the outer conductor 5a can be optimized by rotationally driving the adjustment screw 33 of the screw feed mechanism 30 via the said servomotor etc. by the said control apparatus. In this way, the plasma density distribution is automatically controlled by adjusting the position of the waveguide 5 based on the generation state of the plasma. According to this method, the plasma density distribution can be stabilized quickly and with good reproducibility. In this case, unlike the above-mentioned method, since the substrate W is not useful, productivity can be further improved.

And according to this 2nd Embodiment, the effect similar to 1st Embodiment mentioned above is acquired.

In addition, the plasma treatment according to the technical idea of the present invention can be applied to all plasma treatments such as ashing treatments, in addition to thin film deposition and etching techniques.

In addition, the to-be-processed substrate W is not limited to a semiconductor substrate, It may be a glass substrate, a ceramic substrate, etc., and can be applied to the plasma process with respect to other various types of board | substrates.

In addition, the plasma processing apparatus demonstrated in the said embodiment is an example, It is not limited to these. In particular, the position adjusting means for moving the position of the waveguide 5 with respect to the antenna 4 is not limited to the screw feed mechanisms 20 and 30 described above, and other position adjusting means can be applied. For example, between the frame formed between the waveguide 5, which is a movable portion, and the cooling jacket 7, etc., which is a fixed portion, an inter-pole adjustment means such as an inter-gauge gauge is inserted so that the waveguide 5 is provided with respect to the fixed portion. You may employ | adopt the method of position adjustment so that it may become a position. Alternatively, the lever mechanism may be used so that the displacement of the waveguide 5 with respect to the fixed portion can be enlarged and the position can be adjusted. In addition, the position adjustment of the waveguide 5 can be performed manually, or can be performed automatically.

This application is based on the JP Patent application 2008-205889 of an application on August 8, 2008, and includes detailed description (specification) of the invention, the claim, drawing, and the outline of the invention. The contents disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-205889 are all incorporated by reference herein.

1: plasma processing apparatus (microwave plasma processing apparatus)
2: chamber (plasma processing vessel)
3: top plate (dielectric window)
4: antenna
5: waveguide
5a: outer conductor
5b: inner conductor
5c: rectangular waveguide
6: microwave circle
7: cooling jacket
10: high frequency power supply
20, 30: screw feed mechanism
21, 31: pressing plate
22, 32: set screw
23, 33: adjusting screw
24: stopper

Claims (10)

A plasma processing apparatus for generating plasma in a plasma processing vessel using microwaves to perform plasma processing on a target object,
A microwave source for generating the microwaves,
A waveguide for transmitting the microwaves,
An antenna for radiating microwaves transmitted from the waveguide,
A top plate which propagates the microwaves radiated from the antenna and transmits the inside of the plasma processing container;
And position adjusting means for moving the waveguide so that the position of the waveguide is relatively changed with respect to the antenna. The method of claim 1,
And the position adjusting means displaces a part of the waveguide in contact with the antenna relative to the antenna. The method of claim 2,
The said position adjusting means is a relative position invariant with respect to the said antenna, The plasma processing apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. The method of claim 3,
The waveguide is a coaxial waveguide having an inner conductor and an outer conductor disposed on an outer circumference of the inner conductor, and part of the waveguide is the inner conductor. The method of claim 3,
The waveguide is a coaxial waveguide having an inner conductor and an outer conductor disposed on an outer circumference of the inner conductor, and part of the waveguide is the outer conductor. The method of claim 3,
The antenna includes a slot plate and a slow wave plate disposed adjacent to the slot plate, and in the slot plate, a plurality of pairs of slots are spaced at substantially equal angles on each concentric circle of the plurality of concentric circles, respectively. And the pair of slots are formed to be orthogonal to each other. The method of claim 3,
Cooling means for cooling the antenna is formed so as to contact and overlap the upper surface of the antenna. The method of claim 7, wherein
And forming a temperature sensor on the antenna, and controlling a temperature of a heating medium flowing to the cooling means based on the temperature measurement result by the temperature sensor. The method of claim 3,
A probe is formed in the plasma processing container, and the position of the waveguide relative to the antenna is relatively changed through the position adjusting means based on the generation state of the plasma measured using the probe. Plasma processing apparatus. The method of claim 6,
And the slot plate is made of metal.
KR1020107028583A 2008-08-08 2009-07-29 Plasma processing apparatus KR101221859B1 (en)

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JP2008205889A JP5143662B2 (en) 2008-08-08 2008-08-08 Plasma processing equipment
PCT/JP2009/063522 WO2010016417A1 (en) 2008-08-08 2009-07-29 Plasma processing apparatus

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JP2024017374A (en) * 2022-07-27 2024-02-08 日新電機株式会社 plasma processing equipment

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KR20140137450A (en) * 2012-03-27 2014-12-02 도쿄엘렉트론가부시키가이샤 Microwave irradiating antenna, microwave plasma source, and plasma processing device

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